A cabinet-type clothes treating apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as the “clothes treating apparatus”) and a drum-type steam dryer (hereinafter, referred to as a “steam dryer”) are typical examples of an apparatus for treating clothes by means of steam.
Generally, a clothes treating apparatus is an apparatus for treating clothes received in an accommodating space provided in a cabinet. The treating of the received clothes means a series of processes that remove smells, creases or moistures kept inside the clothes by blowing air to the clothes or by supplying steam or hot air to the clothes so as to provide satisfaction to customers who wear the clothes.
For example, if a person wears same clothes more than one time, smells, creases or moistures remains in the clothes. The smells kept in the clothes give discomfort to users who are trying to wear the same clothes again. Although clothes can be washed to remove this, however there are problems in that frequent washings may reduce the lifetime thereof and increase costs necessary to maintain the clothes.
Also, creases may be present in clothes which are washed and dried, in that case the user has to iron the clothes before putting them on.
In order to solve these problems, the clothes treating apparatus can be used to remove smells, creases or moistures remained in the clothes.
The clothes treating apparatus may blow air (including hot air) in order to supply moisture into the clothes and to dry the clothes having moisture by means of the supplied steam.
Although smells, creases or moistures can be removed by exposing clothes to the air or hot air, however moisture can be used to maximize the effects.
If moisture is supplied into clothes received in the clothes treating apparatus, minute water particles are coupled with microfragnances remained deep into fibers, and the water particles coupled with the microfragnances are separated and discharged during a drying process. In this way, smells remained in the clothes are removed.
And, if steam is supplied into clothes received in the clothes treating apparatus, creases remained in the clothes are moderated. The creases in the wet clothes caused by the supplied steam are moderated or removed during the drying process.
By means of the processes, smells, creases or moistures kept in the clothes can be removed, and therefore the user can put on the clothes in a pleasing state.
And, a general drier is an electric home appliance that dries washed laundries, i.e. clothes, by using hot air. Generally, the drier includes a drum in which objects to be dried are accommodated, a drive source which drives the drum, a heating means which heats air to be introduced into the drum, and a blower unit which sucks or discharges air inside the drum.
Generally, the drier dries the laundries as the dehydrated laundries are put therein. However, creases are formed in the washed laundries, and the produced creases are not completely removed in the drying process. Therefore, the conventional drier has a disadvantage in that ironing is required to remove the creases present in the dried laundries.
Also, wrinkles, creases and folds are formed while clothes are stored or used. Therefore, there has been a need to provide a device that can easily remove folds caused by the use or storage, and thus, a steam drier which supplies steam into clothes during the drying process is developed accordingly.
Therefore, a validity period of water to be used as a water source may exist, in case the water source which supplies water into a moisture supply apparatus is configured as a detachable type or in case a drain space where condensate water condensed at an inner portion of the accommodation space or drainage water is collected is provided.
If the validity period of water stored in the detachable water source has been expired, the water is no bigger than drainage water since the water is no longer supplied into the accommodation space.
Also, various parts may be corroded and smells may be occurred, since various pollutants may be included in water stored in the drain space.
Therefore, a method, which can solve the above problems caused when the water source or the drain space is detachably configured, is required.